What to do this month in Milan: September

September is one of the best months to be in Milan. The extreme heat of summer has eased but it’s still warm enough to enjoy an aperitivo outside. There’s a friendly vibe around the city, perhaps because the locals have returned fresh and rejuvenated from their August holidays. Events are in abundance this month and here are some of our favourites...

1) Enjoy live music in stunning locations at MITO

During September Milan joins together with Turin to celebrate live music one of the most anticipated cultural events of the year. The MITO International Music Festival 2015 focuses on fine classical music but also includes jazz, contemporary sounds as well as dance performances.

The festival gives visitors a chance to see superb live music in some of Milan’s most beautiful and historic locations including the La Scala Opera House (where the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra play on opening night), the Galeria D’Italia, the Conservatorio di Milano, the Duomo, the Basilica di Saint Ambrogio and the Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate amongst others.

September marks the 20th edition of the popular Milan Film Festival. Every year over 100,000 people take part in the ten day long event, enjoying films in different locations around the city in spots that include squares, theatres, auditoriums, streets, car parks, suburbs, parks, museums and galleries.

The festival showcases both Italian and foreign films and includes workshops as well as interviews with directors. There will also be live music and DJ sets at Parco Sempione every night during the festival.

Fondazione Prada launched in May with an impressive selection of exhibitions that included the a video interview with controversial director Roman Polanski. In September the foundation plays host to another innovative exhibition that pushes the boundaries of what an art gallery can be.

Atlante del gesto (Atlas of gestures) is the first performing arts piece to be exhibited at the foundation and consists of a series of choreographed dances that explore different aspects of human movement and dynamics. Visitors will be also able to get involved in the performances.

The La Grande Madre exhibition brings together the work of more than eighty international artists to explore the iconography of motherhood in the art and visual culture of the 20th and 21st centuries, from early avant-garde movements to present times. The role of mother has been a central figure in art, from the Palaeolithic Venuses to religious Madonnas all the way through to the “bad girls” of the post feminist era and beyond.

Fashion fever comes to town during September as Milan plays host to Women’s Spring Summer 2016 Fashion Week. The catwalk shows require tickets to get in, but if you’re seriously interested in shopping you can call ahead to attend presentations. Nowadays a lot of the interest during the week is focused on the street style, which is open to all.

23–29 September 2015, various locations.

6) Go on a night out with Vogue

As a warm up to fashion week on September 16 Milan’s fashion district will play host to the sixth edition of Vogue Fashion Night Out. Over six hundred stores will remain open until 23.30 and there will be cocktail parties and DJ sets from Via Montenapoleone to Via Manzoni, from Via della Spiga to Corso Venezia, from Corso Vittorio Emanuele to Corso Genova, and on to the whole of the Brera district and Corso Como. The event will celebrate 50 years of Italian Vogue with a special art fashion exhibition in conjunction with Expo Milano.

The best way to deal with a bad case of the post summer blues is invest in a new wardrobe for the new season. The clever people at Burberry are well aware of this and today have launched the Scarf Bar in their flagship boutique on Via Montenapoleone.

Clients will be able to select and create their own Burberry ‘Made in Scotland’ cashmere scarf from a wide range of shades and prints in addition to adding their own custom monogram. The service will also be available online at Burberry.com.

In store you’ll also be able to see the new red and navy versions of their Classic Heritage trenchcoat. A pop of colour to brighten those autumnal days.

The Gelato Festival comes to Milan in early September. Piazza Castello plays hosts to a wide variety of gelato makers. They will compete to to win the public vote and so access to the Gelato European final that takes place in Florence in October.

For something a little bit different head down to Milan’s Naviglio Grande on the 12 September to witness or even take part in a very historic swimming race.

The Gran Fondo race was first held in 1895 and in recent years (after the cleaning of the Naviglio) has had a huge resurgence in popularity. Participants can choose the easy 3km, challenging 14km or gruelling 21km race swimming with the current from the outskirts of Milan into the city.